What is Epilepsy? {Epilepsy Awareness}

November is Epilepsy Awareness month. Epilepsy is an inherited disorder passed through generations of our family. As infants both of my daughters were diagnosed with this disorder. It has completely changed our lives.

This month Luv’N Lambert Life will showcase information about Epilepsy. The only way to change how those who have this disorder are treated is to teach others and Epilepsy education is what this month is all about for us.

What is Epilepsy?The Epilepsy Foundation describes it as “a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It’s also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.

A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.

Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures by the person experiencing them or by health care professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs.” (taken from the Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/)

There is much more to Epilepsy but this is a very good description of the disorder. Epilepsy comes in several forms that affect each person differently. Sometimes more than one type of seizure can affect the brain. We will discuss more about types of seizures later this month.